Wednesday 4 November 2015

EOR Polymers and Their Advantages Using Oil & Mining Sectors

Enhanced oil recovery methods are crucial to mining and oil sectors due to energy issues, shortage of resources, and difficulty in finding new mining sites and oil fields. For this reason, EOR polymer flooding is an acceptable process to increase the production of an oil well, even under hard reservoir conditions. EOR polymers can withstand temperatures that are up to 120 degrees Celsius, with low permeability (10MD) and heavy brines.

EOR polymers can be used towards the end of a well's lifespan, and they are applied by injection during the drilling process. A high-quality EOR polymer may help generate 30 to 60 percent or more of the well's original oil (unlike conventional recovery methods, which can only produce from 20 to 40 percent). Polymer flooding is an EOR method developed as a more environmentally friendly and safer alternative to conventional recovery processes.

Polymer flooding is performed by combining long chain polymer molecules with injected water to increase viscosity. This way, the areal and vertical sweep efficiency improves as a result of improving the ratio between water and oil mobility. Some manufacturers use EOR polymers with surfactants to decrease the surface tension of water and oil, minimize the saturation of residual oil, and enhance the process' macroscopic efficiency.

Primary surfactants typically have co-solvents, activity boosters, and co-surfactants to enhance the formulation's stability. Caustic flooding occurs when sodium hydroxide is added to the water injected, resulting in lowered surface tension, oil emulsification, reversed wettability of the rock, and mobilization of oil. Moreover, it helps draw oil out from the rock.

You can explore the selection of EOR polymers from a reputable manufacturer online. Find a respected and environmentally friendly chemical distributor that offers high-quality EOR polymers for various clients in the oil and mining industries. Some of the best distributors have purchasing offices in China and India to ensure competitive pricing for their products.